Republican Sen. Deb Fischer will win reelection in Nebraska, defeating an unexpectedly strong challenge from independent Dan Osborn, CNN projects. Fischer was first elected to the Senate in 2012, when she became the first female senator elected to a full term in Nebraska.

Republican Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer defeated independent candidate Dan Osborn in a competitive race to win reelection to a third

Republican Sen. Deb Fischer has won the Nebraska Senate race, defeating Independent Dan Osborn, according to a race call by the Associated Press. With her victory, Republicans have taken control of the upper chamber of Congress.

Populist independent candidate Dan Osborn has lost his bid for U.S. Senate in Nebraska to two-term Republican incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer. The result helps solidify the GOP’s control of the chamber, which it secured for the first time in four years on Tuesday.

Fischer, a Republican incumbent bogged down by low approval ratings, faced newcomer Dan Osborn, who said he would not caucus with either party

Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer faces her strongest reelection challenge yet Tuesday as she takes on a former labor union boss who eschewed both major political parties to run as an independent while painting himself as a working class champion.

Even as outside polling shows a competitive race for U.S. Senate in ruby-red Nebraska, Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer remains adamant that her challenge from nonpartisan industrial mechanic Dan Osborn is a media-driven fabrication.